Device for putting on and taking off a support stocking

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device that is used to open a support sock (or hose) and to maintain same open so that the foot and leg can be inserted therein without the passage of the heel posing any difficulty. The aforementioned manoeuvre is made possible by means of two members ( 2, 4 ) which form an ovoid tube on which the sock is positioned. Said two members are fixed to panels ( 1, 3 ) which can be separated from one another using a lever ( 5 ) comprising two connecting links ( 6, 7 ). The invention also comprises variable-length, lateral, removable handles and, as a result, the device is suitable for personal use or for use by a third party. The lower part ( 3 ) of the device can be used alone for the removal of the sock. According to the invention, the user employs the lateral handles ( 8, 9 ) such that the above-mentioned member ( 4 ), which takes the form of a hollow semicylinder in order to match the shape of the heel, moves the sock towards the foot.

The present invention relates to a device for putting on or taking offelastic support socks or stockings, either by the user himself or withthe aid of a third party.

Venous compression, a unanimously recognized technique for preventingand curing venous disorder, is effective only by virtue of thecontrolled high pressure exerted by the elastic fibers of the orthosison the limb.

However, this high tension makes it exceedingly difficult to put on thesupport devices (especially by people with reduced mobility who areunable to overcome the resistance of the textile with their hands inorder to “pass the heel” and who have difficulty bending forward).

Current devices consist either in using a “substocking” made of a silktextile, which makes it easier to slip the leg into the supportstocking, or in holding the support stocking at its top in order to slipthe leg therein. None of these devices solves the technical problemslinked with the considerable resistance of the elastic textile and withthe mobility difficulties of the users.

The invention described hereinafter therefore describes a technicalsolution, on the one hand to sufficiently distending the sock (orcompressive stocking) to allow easy fitting and the “passing of theheel”, and, on the other hand, by virtue of the addition of elongatehandles, to putting on the sock by the user alone, who will be able toplace the apparatus, and therefore the sock, at the end of his footwithout effort.

Furthermore, this apparatus may be used by a third party (for example anurse applying a sock to a patient) by removing the detachable handles.

Finally, the detachable part of the apparatus, by virtue of its elongatehandles, will allow the user to remove his support devices by himself.

The description of the apparatus given below makes it necessary to statedetails regarding dimensions, which may be subject to modificationsdepending on the size of apparatus (large adult, normal adult or child)and on technical improvements. The dimensions are given by way ofexample.

The apparatus, manufactured in metal or plastic, is composed of a flatplate (1) 28 cm long by 4.5 cm wide, securing two rods (10 and 11) of 20mm diameter which are welded at its ends and which act as a slide guide,and supporting a rectangular tongue (2) 9 cm wide by 10 cm long in theform of an upwardly convex, flattened semicylinder perpendicular to saidplate, constituting the upper part of the system for opening the sock(or the support stocking). Underneath, a flat plate (3) having a heightof 8.5 cm, fastened to two tubes which slide on the slide guides (10 and11), supports a tongue (4) 9 cm wide by 10 cm long in the form of adownwardly very concave, small-radius cylinder portion, constituting thelower part of the sock-opening system.

The sock (or stocking) is introduced by being slid over the ovoid tubeformed by the two tongues (2 and 4). By means of a lever (5) fastened tothe top plate (1) and by way of 15-cm-long connecting rods (6 and 7)fastened onto the lever (5) at a distance of 5.5 cm from its hinge pins,the user will exert a relatively small downward force after taking holdby his other hand of the handle (12) provided at the top of theapparatus and made in the fixed plate (1). The action of the lever willmake it possible to separate the two plates (1 and 3) by moving away thesliding plate (3) and therefore to separate the two tongues (2 and 4) inorder to distend the sock. The apparatus will thus be able to remain“locked” in the open position by virtue, on the one hand, of thealignment of the connecting rods with the lever and, on the other hand,of a small hook (13) which will hook onto the slide rods.

The opening thus formed between the two tongues, which opening is 14 cmhigh by 9 cm wide, makes it possible to enlarge the sock (or the supportstocking) by distension and to keep it open and to ensure the passage ofthe foot, which will push, at the bottom of the tubular part formed bythe two tongues (2 and 4), against the sock blocking the end. Thepassing of the heel, which was one of the technical difficulties, willbe accomplished with very great ease (which would make it possible, forexample, to fit support stockings in a gentle manner, and withoutcausing any pain, to bedridden patients who have been operated on).

The detachable elongate handles (8 and 9), which are fastened on eachside of the apparatus and can be adjusted in length for greaterergonomics, allow a seated user to place the apparatus at the end of hisfoot without needing to bend forward, thus being advantageous forelderly people, and to perfectly control the maneuver with one hand oneach side of the leg. The handles make it possible to keep the apparatusat a distance and vertical, if necessary placed on the ground andresting on the two slide rods (10 and 11), so that the tip of the footcan be easily inserted between the two tongues (2 and 4). Whileextending his leg, the user will pull the apparatus toward him, therebyallowing the sock (or the stocking) to slip over, become free of thetongues and be applied to the foot and the leg. By virtue of its movinglower plate (3), the apparatus will allow easy passage of the knee andmay be raised as far as the thigh (in the case of a thigh stocking).

The operation of taking off the support sock (or stocking) is carriedout simply with the aid of the moving part of the apparatus, that is tosay the bottom plate (3) which is flanked by the two elongate handles (8and 9) and supports, fastened perpendicularly, a tongue (4) 10 cm longby 9 cm wide in the form of a downwardly concave, small-radius cylinderportion. The user will slip this tongue between the sock and the calfuntil the sock comes to rest against the plate (3). The user will pushthe apparatus toward the ankle by means of the two lateral handles (8and 9), which allow accurate guided movement along the axis of the leg.The sock, held by the tongue (4) at its upper orifice, will be foldedover between the tongue and the leg; in a movement of bending around theheel made possible by virtue of the hollow shape of the tongue and byvirtue of the length of the two handles and of the precision of theaction that they allow, the sock will be removed from the foot witheffortless ease (FIGS. 4 and 5).

It is quite clear that this apparatus may also be used for ordinarysocks or stockings (not support ones), where appropriate following sometechnical modifications.

By way of nonrestrictive example, the lever and the connecting rodscould have different dimensions, as could the tongues.

Presentation of the figures of the drawing:

FIG. 1/5: apparatus seen in a front three-quarters view in the closedposition,

FIG. 2/5: apparatus seen in a front three-quarters view in the openposition,

FIG. 3/5: moving part of the apparatus used for taking off the supportdevices,

FIG. 4/5 and 5/5: schematic representation of the process of taking offthe support devices.

The technical and industrial implementation of the apparatus does notpose any particular problems. The apparatus is composed of fivedifferent parts which can be produced by compression molding andinjection molding (plastic, for example).

Only two assembly operations have to be performed: these are theassembly of the connecting rods (6 and 7) on the lever (5) by means of ahinge pin and the assembly of the lever (5) on the fixed plate (1).

The other two assemblies (moving part (3) on fixed part (1) and elongatehandles (8 and 9) on moving part (3)) are linked with the operating modeof the apparatus and are therefore carried out by the user.

1. A device for assisting in fitting and removing support socks, whichmakes it possible to open a sock by means of a fixed part comprising anupper plate (1) to which an upper tongue (2) is fastened, and a lowermoving part which slides along two slide guides and comprises a slidingplate (3) to which a lower tongue (4) is fastened, characterized in thatit consists of a slide (10 and 11) and lever (5) system which is used toseparate two tongues (2 and 4), in that it comprises detachable lateralhandles (8 and 9) and in that the moving lower part of the device (3, 4,8 and 9) may be uncoupled from the apparatus and may be used as anindependent apparatus.
 2. The sock-opening device as claimed in claim 1,characterized by two curved, solid tongues (2 and 4), the upper tongue(2) having a large radius of curvature and being more flattened than thelower tongue (4), which has a small radius of curvature and isdownwardly very concave to allow the passage of the heel, the twotongues forming, when pressed one against the other, a rectilinear andovoid sleeve on which the sock will be positioned.
 3. The sock-openingdevice as claimed in claim 1, characterized by two parallel slide guides(10 and 11) which are interconnected at one end by the fixed plate (1)supporting the upper tongue (2) and are free at the other end, allowingvertically downward translational movement of the lower plate (3), whichis equipped with slides at its ends.
 4. The sock-opening device asclaimed in claim 1, characterized by a lever system (5) which, bearingon the fixed upper plate (1) on each side of the apparatus, will pushthe lower sliding plate (3) by way of two connecting rods (6 and 7) soas to move the plate (3) away from the fixed part (1 and 2), therebyreducing the effort required.
 5. The positioning device as claimed inclaim 1, characterized by the addition of elongate handles of variablelength which are fastened in a lateral position on each side of thesliding plate (3) and are easily detachable, allowing personal use ofthe apparatus or use by a third party by removing these handles.
 6. Thedevice for taking off support socks (or stockings) as claimed in claim1, characterized in that it is composed of the moving lower part of thesock-fitting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, which partis detachable and can be uncoupled easily from the rest of thesock-fitting device by sliding it down to the end of the slide guides inorder to become an independent apparatus comprising the sliding plate(3) supporting the tongue (4) and the two handles (8 and 9). The tongue(4) fastened perpendicularly to the plate (3), which acts as a stop, isslipped into the top of the sock, between the latter and the leg, andpushes it toward the foot by means of the elongate handles in afolding-over process, making it possible to pass the heel.